A South Korean Army officer has received a U.S. military medal for his contribution to improving military diplomacy between the allies, the defense ministry here said Tuesday.

Col. Cha Soon-young was the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, awarded by the U.S. Defense Department, on Monday.

As a former military attache at the South Korean embassy in Washington, Cha was recognized for maintaining close partnership with the U.S. Defense Department and its Joint Chiefs of Staff, the ministry said.

Cha, 53, served as the attache from 2007 to 2010, and is currently working with the U.S. Forces Korea Base Relocations Office under the defense ministry.

Cha was also the Asia-Pacific regional director for the Washington Association of Military Attaches (WAMA) during his tenure and received an achievement award from the organization for fostering exchange with attaches from other Asian nations.

“During my three years as attache, I attended every international occasion there was to attend to help promote my country, and also tried to strengthen cooperation among Asian attaches,” Cha said. “I think the U.S. government and its army acknowledged my efforts with this honor.”

The Meritorious Service Medal was created in 1969 to honor military personnel for their outstanding acts or services. Since 1981, service members of friendly foreign countries have also been awarded the medal. 

(Yonhap News)